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VOL. 11. THE CABINET Is published every Saturday by P. L. ROBINSON, Warrenton. Geo. at three dollars per annum, which may be discharged by two dollars and fifty cents if paid within sixty days of the time of subscribing. ►Select Tales. FRuM THE AMULET FOR 1829. THE FISHERMAN. It was as calm an evening as ever came from Heaven, —the sky and the earth were as tranquil, as if no storm from the one had ever disturbed the repose of the other: & even the ocean •—that great highway of the world— lay as gentle as it its bosom bad never betray ed,; —as if no traveller had ever Biivik to death in its embrace. The sun had gone down, and the pensive twilight would have reigned over na ture, but for the moon which rose in full orbed beauty, the queen of an il limitable world, to smile upon the goodly things of our3, and to give a radiance and a glory to all she shone upon. It was an hour and a scene that led the soul to the contemplation of Him who neVer erases to wat< h over the worksite has made and whose pro tecting rare displays itself alike upon the solid land and the trackless wastes of the deceitful sea-. On the western coast of the county of Devon, which has been termed, and, it may be added, justly* ‘the garden of England,’ upon such an eVenir.g a group had assembled around one of the fishermen's cottages. The hab itation was built in the style of old en time, when comfort was the principal object of the projector. At either side of the d'oojp Wre scat tered the lines *nd ro ts and baskets that betokened the calling of the own er, and the fisherman wos taking his farewell for the night, of his happy loving family, who were bidding bio *God speed’ on his voyage. A fine old man was leaning his arms on tin railing, and talking to an iuterestini girl Wliose hand lay upon the shoul der of a younger sister. The stm fisherman, dressed in his rough jerkin, and large hoots that reached n bove the knees. Was in the act of kis sing a little cherub, who seemed half terrified at so high as the fathers lips,* while the wife &nd mother, with her infant nursling on her lap, was looking anxiously upon her husband as she breathed the part ihg blessing, and the prayer for his safe return. A little boy, the miuia ture of his father in countenance and dress, bearing a huge boat < loak a cross his shoulders, and the lantern that was to give light when the moon departed, completed the group—if we Except a noble Newfoundland dog, some steps in advance of the party, watching for the nod to command his march to a kind of pier where the, fisherman and his boy were to em bark. ‘Good luck, good luck!’ ex claimed the old man; ‘good luck and safe home again, John; ye want m more but God‘s blessing, and that ye may have for asking; but ye may as well take mine too,—God bless ye, and good by to ye.’ The blessing was heartly echoed by his kind partner and his children, and whistling as he went, with his boat hook on his shoulder, his deg Neptum before, and his boy following, be trudged along to the beach. With the earliest dawn of morning the fisherman‘B family were astir; tin elder girl was busily arranging then little parlor, while the younger was preparing the breakfast table, ar.cl tin vVarmiem, July 2 ). 18^9. mother spreading before the fire the clothes of her husband and her boy. An hour passed, and she grew some what uneasy that lie had remained a broad beyond the uslial period of his return.—Another hour had elapsed, when she said to her father, ‘Father go out to the hillock, and try if you can soe his sail upon the water; lie seldom stays out so long when the sea is calm and the Weather fair; my little boy was not quite well last night, and this alone should have hastened him home.’ The old man went Forth, and one by one his grand children followed bin;, until the mother was left alone, rock ing the cradle of Ijer unconscious babe. After the lapse of another hour, her daughter entered with riews that a neighbour had spoken to her father in the night, and that ho would ccr tainly be soon home, ‘God grant it!’ said she, and she spoke in a tone of deep anxiety—‘lie never was away so long but onccj and that was when he saved the crew of the ship Mary; and then the whirl of the sinking vessel well nigh made his grave.* Again she stirred the fire, again ar ranged the clothes before it, ami pour ed some hot water into the tea cups. Still the breakfast remained untouch ed. The sun was now soaring to his me ridian height, when once more the family assembled in their humble dwelling, the prop of the whole Was yet wanting. They sat down to a c heerless meal, the scats at either side of the wife remained vacant.—The old man was the only individual who appeared to anti< ipate no evil; but he hastily finished bis breakfast and Went forth. The noon was rapidly passing, and the sun had already given tokens of the glory of his departure, when the fisherman's wife having lulled her in fant asleep, went herself to the hill bat commanded an extensive view of in* \Vide spread ocean. All the little household soon assembled on the spot, but no boat was seen upon the waters nothing that could give hope except the aspect of the waves which looked too placid to be dangerous. Their deep dread was no longer to be concealed; and while the old man paced to and fro, looking earnestly at brief Intervals over the lonely sea, the mother and daughter Were sobbing au dibly. ‘Fearless let him be whose trust is in his God!’ ex< I aimed the father. The sentence was uttered involunta rily, but it had its effect. ‘Ay,’said the mother, ‘he always trusted in his God, and God will not forsake him now.’ ‘Do you remember, Jane,’ ’ contin ed the old man, *how often Providence was with me, amid the storm and the wreck, when help from man was far off, and would have been useless if near?’—And they entered and encour aged one another to hope the best, — but to submit id the decree of Hea ven, whether it came as tlip gentle | dew to nourish, or aS the heavy rain; to oppress.—From that hillock which overlooked the ocean, ascended the mingled prayers that God would not leave them desolate. The fisherman—the object of their hopes, and fears—had been very sue. -essful during the night; when at day break; as he was preparing to return home he remembered bis promise to bring with him borne sea-weed to manure the potatne plot behind his ottage. lie was then close to rocks which were only discernabie, at low 7 water, he polled for them, jumped on shore, fastened the painter of his boat to a jutting prt of a ( lift, and took his boat book with him. He collected a sufficient quantity of the weed, 1 but in his eagerness to obtain it, had wan- j dered from the landing place, when; he heard his boy loudly hallowing and exclaiming that the painter was loose. He rushed instantly towards the boat, which was then several yards off, the boy was vainly endeavouring to use both the oars; and Neptune, the faith ful dog, was ruhning backward and forward, howling fearfully, as if con scious of his master‘s danger, at one moment about to plunge into the waves to join tiim, and the next lic k ing the face and hands of the child, as if he foresaw that for him his pro tection would be most needed. The fisherman perceived at once the desperate nature of his situation; the tide be knew Was coming in rap idly, and bis hope of escape was at an end, when he perceived that his boy. in an effort to use the oars had In one of them fall overboard, ‘Father, father,* exclaimed the poor lad, ‘what shall 1 do?’—the boat at this moment so distant that his distracted parent could scarcely hear the words; hut lie called out to him as loud as he could to trust in God, the father of the father less. He then stood resigned to th< fate which he felt awaitbd him, and watched the Uniting boat that bon the c hild in peril from the fatal hic ks lie had offered up a brief pray er W the throne of mercy, when in an in starit, a light broke upon his mind. ♦Good God!* he exclaimed, ‘I may yet be saved.’ With the energy of hope battling with despair, he collected all the stones around him, and heaped them rapidly upon the highest ledge ofrenk: it was indeed wonderful how he could have gathered so many in so short a time; but the almighty gaVe strength to his arm, ami he was la bouritig not for life merely, but fr beings, still nearer to him. The tide came on, bn, on, and soon obliged him to abandon his work. He then mounted the pile lie had heaped plant ed his boat-hook firmly in one of the crevices of the cliff, and prepared to struggle for existence; but his heart failed him, when he considered how slight was the possibility that the wa ters would not rise above bis head.— Still, he determined to do all he could to preserve life. The Waves were not rough and the boat-hook supported him. The awful moment rapidly ap proached; the w r ater had reached his knee 9 but he stood firmly and prayed that he might he preserved. On, on, on,on it came slowly and gently, but more fearfully than it raged around its destined prey—soon it reached his waist, and he then prayed that it might go no higher* On, on, on, it came; and his shoulders were covered; hope now died within him, and thought of himself no longer, but of those who were so dear to him—his wife, his children and his father—it was for blessings on them that lie then implored heaven. Still, on, on, it came, and he was forced to raise his head to keep as long as possible from death; his reason was almost gone, his breath grew feeble, his limbs chill, he panted and his pray ers became gur gling murmurs. The blood rushed to bis head: bis eye balls glared as if they would start from their sorketts. He closed them with an effort, and thought for the la3t time on the home that would soon be so wretched! Hor rible images were before him—each swell of the wave seemed as if the fiends were forcing him downward, and the cry of the eea-bird was like | their yell over their victim. He was gasping, for he had not strength to keep his head above the waves; every moment it was splashing upon them, and eac h convulsive start that follow ed, only aroused him to the conscious ness, if consciousness it could be cal led, that the next plunge would be his last. Merciful powers!—at the very mo ment, when the spirit of a man had left him, and the cold shudder of death had come on, he felt that the tide rose no higher. His eyes opened, closed, and a fearful laugh troubled the waters! They eddied in his throat, and the bubbles floated around his lips—but they rose no higher— that lie knew—again and again his bosom heaved withr a deep sob, as be drew in his breath, and gave it forth again in agony. A minute had pas sed sin e the salt sea lead toii< lied his lips; this was impossible if \U*> tide still flowed, he could reason so much. He opened his eyes, and faintly mur mured forth. Oh! God! be merciful. The flow of the ocean had nearly ceased; there he stood motionless; but praying and Weeping, thinking of bis beloved home, and hopii g that his plac e there might not be forever va ant. The waters in a sltoiq time subsided and he was enabled to stretch bis c billed limbs, and warm them by exercise. Soon the rock was left dry as before; the fisherman knelt down upon the desolate spot a mong the billows—prayed and bles sed bis Creator—his Preserver! Oh! it was the well-known bark of bis faithful dog that he had heard a hnve the waves, in another moment the creature was licking his pale cheek. He was saved: for Ins own boat had touched the shore, and Ins own boy was in his arms! lie h and been drifted to the land, and had easi ly found (hose who rowed hard for tlto chance of saving his father‘B life. Now homeward, homeward! be ex claimed. Homeward! homeward! ecln oei|the child; and Neptune jumped and barked at the welcome sound. The fishercnan‘s family were still supplicating Providence upon the hillock that over looked the deep; when the old man started from his knees, and ex- laimed:—‘We are heard! there is a speck upon the dis tant waters * ‘Where, where,’ was echoed by the distant group; and he pointed out what, he hoped to be the absent boat; They eagerly strained their eyes, but could see nothing/ in a few minutes however, all perceived a sail; still it was impossible to tell the direction in which its course lay. Then was the agony of suspense; it continued however, but for a short time, a boat was evidently advancing towards the shore; in a few minutes they could clearly perceive a man at the bow, waving his hat above his head, and soon after the well known bark of Neptune was borne to them by the breeze.—The femily rushed to the extremity of the rude pier; and the loud Huzza of the fisherman was an swered by the ‘welcome, welcome* of his father, and the most inarticulate ‘thank God,’of his wife. And now all wasjy and happiness in the cottage, where there had been so much wretchedness: the fisherman, his boy and his dog, were sate from the perils of the great deep; but he wonld return no answer to the tnairy ques tions, as to what had detained him so long beyond the usual hour of his re turn; ‘Wait, rny wife,* said he, ‘until vie have dressed and refreshed our selves, and you shall know all, but before we do either, let us bless God No. 7.